Just A Reflection
by Stardust Roses
Summary: Set before Roxas joins the Organization.  On a rainy night in the World That Never Was, Larxene reveals a side of herself that no one would expect; she yearns to be whole. This night explains why she and Marluxia are so close.    Suggested Mar/Lar


This is my take on why Marluxia and Larxene could be close. It's also my first time writing Mar/Lar, so I hope they aren't too OOC. Well, except for Larxene in the beginning, but that's on purpose. Anyway, this oneshot is set before Roxas enters the Organization and is meant to show a different side of Larxene. Oh, and I guessed their original names since no one really knows what they are. I hope you enjoy it. :)

Now to Demyx, my favorite Nobody, for the disclaimer.

Demyx: Stardust Roses does not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters. That would be the wonderful Square Enix.

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><p><em>Nighttime falls. The darkness cloaks the near-silent city in an anxiety that could smother any human being. Holding its breath. Awaiting what is bound to come. One by one, the street lamps flash on, small flickers of relief from the tension of the night. The city is alight with the bright neons casting their glow upon the damp street, and all appears well in the World that Never Was. <em>

_Kingdom Hearts, the great yellow moon, hangs in the sky proudly. It is a beacon of light and hope for these unfortunate reflections of the people that once were, these incomplete beings without the ability to feel true emotions. Once it is complete, they all will be whole again. Free to live. Free to __**feel**__. She wonders what it feels like to be a whole being. Despite her claims and harsh remarks that a heart is not needed, she wants it. More than anything she wants to know what it is like to be happy, to feel the burning rage of anger, to be able to shed a single tear._

_She does not want to be a mere reflection of someone that once was._

_A sigh escapes her lips. Just a quiet sigh, lined with her impression of what is despair. Her boot heels click on the stones as she walks, walks by the street lamps, by the tall black buildings shadowed by night, until the castle is nothing but a speck in the distance. She wants to be far away from everything that is the nothing of her non-existing life. Only after this has been achieved can she release herself from her shell of the cold, uncaring woman that is the Savage Nymph. No one must know of this other side of her._

_She drops to her knees without worry that her cloak will become soaked from the now-pouring rain. Not a concern enters her mind that if she fights with her powerful lightning that she will fade away from existence. At this point, what would the loss of one person matter? Superior has eleven more expendables. Fading away, perhaps into a new life, would be better than existing here without purpose. After all, a Nobody like her wasn't meant to exist anyway._

_Her keen ears pick up the sound of the Heartless appearing from behind, and she realizes, now is her chance to fade. No longer will she have to experience this emptiness. She has the opportunity to be rid of this false pain forever . . . fading back into the darkness from which she came. _

'_Yes,' she think, 'This is the right time. Not existing at all will be better than existing without a heart.'_

_Her preferred set of knives, her Foudre, appear in a flash of light and thorns in her grasp. She returns for what is planned on being her last ever fighting stance, and charges at the shadows with the glowing yellow eyes._

'_This will be the end.'_

_With a sharp cackle, ever true to her fighting nature, she releases a powerful bolt of lightning to strike the Heartless, and at once registers the pain her mind sends her. A cry rips through her throat, shaking her strong body, tearing through the night. As she falls, not a single expression reflects on her face. Why bother trying to be something you never will? Her face comes in contact with the hard blocks of the road, her body lands with a thud. She awaits for the darkness to appear to take her home, and her green eyes close for what she hopes to be the last time._

XXX

Back at the castle . . .

All is at rest. The majority have retired to their rooms for a night of well-deserved sleep, a few others mill about the castle, doing nothing in particular. Two Nobodies, however remain in the Grey Area, awaiting Number XII's return. Already she has been gone for a week on a mission that was expected to take less than three days, and the Superior was becoming impatient for her return.

"Number VII, has Number XII returned?"

"She has not, Superior."

"Send XI out to find her. This has taken much too long."

"Yes Superior."

Marluxia was tending to his garden when Saïx approached him.

"XI, Superior has requested you search for XII. She has not yet returned. Prepare yourself, and head out immediately."

A brief suspicion crossed his lovely features, but he agreed, and set off to the rainy city below.

He stepped out of the dark portal, and surveyed his surrounding, instinctively searching for anything out of the ordinary. He continued down the stone path, his clicking heels reminiscent of a pair that had walked the same path hours ago. Apart from the pouring rain, the night was silent. No sounds of Heartless wandering the streets, not even another set of footsteps could be heard in the black night. Number XII–she could be anywhere. Fighting off swarms of Neoshadows down an alley, or seeking shelter from the rain in one of the many buildings before continuing her mission. Or perhaps—

_No._ _She can't be, _thought Marluxia. He dismissed the thought that she was no longer a part of this world from his mind. Someone as tough as Larxene wouldn't have faded on a mission so simple as eliminating Neoshadows from the World that Never Was. He knew she was a fighter, a cold, ruthless fighter that wouldn't cease from attacking until her targets were gone. Even though she was a fairly new member of the Organization, he knew that much about the girl.

Further ahead, several Neoshadows could be seen scattering away from an alley, and he then realized that Larxene was there. He rushed ahead with new energy, hoping that the blonde woman would be there.

Hoping?

That was impossible. None of them could feel any sort of emotion, be it hope or anguish, yet he was certain that there was something within his being that was drawn to her in a way that he only knew from memories. _Fondness,_ his mind registered. _Could it be her?_

From his past as a human, he recalled a lady, petite, but with hips no man could resist. Her eyes were vivid green, her short hair blonde, and skin so smooth that it could compete with porcelain. She was stunningly gorgeous. Behind this beauty was a fighter, a fierce one at that, and with a temper. But nonetheless, he loved her. Was that the right word? Yes, _love. _

Perhaps it was his love for her in his human life that caused this fondness for her in this new life. He believed it was for that reason that when he found her bloody and bruised body lying completely still down a now empty alley, he lifted her small form into his arms and pressed a kiss against her forehead before returning to the castle.

XXX

_Light, everywhere . . . Is this the next life?_

_Or did I survive?_

_I don't remember._

"Number XII," It was the Superior's voice. She was now certain that she had not faded that night in the rain.

"Yes . . . Superior?" Her voice came out unclear, as if she had not used it for a long while.

"I am giving you one week to recover. After that, you are to return to your missions. Rest well." He turned curtly to the door and left her to the emptiness of her room.

The familiar coldness was once again part of her being. Now that she was back to the castle, not one Nobody would witness the side of her that longed to be whole. She would return to the sadistic woman they all knew. All except one.

Marluxia was the next to enter her room. She could tell by the rosy perfume that filled the air whenever he was near.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

"Nothing really. I was just seeing how you were recovering. I know what happened."

"No you don't. No one does."

"Think what you want, but I know you better than any of the other members." He took a seat on her bed beside her, and kissed her lips softly, a reminder of what used to be. "Rest well, _Arlene."_

With that, he walked out of her room, leaving her in silence to wonder.

_Lumaria–could it be you?_

_END~_


End file.
